Filtering apparatus.



PATENTED FEB. 27,1906.

D. M. PFAUTZ. FILTERING APPARATUS. APPLIGATIO FILED DEG. 27. 1904.

z SHEETS- SHEET 1.

No. 813,516. PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906. D. M. PFAUTZ.

FLTERING APPARATUS. APPLIUATION FILED 1350,27, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FILTERING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed December 27. 1904:. Serial No. 238,355.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL M. PFAUTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Germantown, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Filtering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to a filter especially adapted for the filtration of water under pressure; and in such connection it relates more particularly to improvements upon th efilter system filed by me under date of July 2, 1.904, under the Serial No. 215,066.

My invention consists, in afiltering system, of the apparatus and parts thereof constructed and arranged for operation in the manner hereinafter described and claimed.

The nature and scope of my present invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which- Figure'l is a horizontal sectional view of a filtering apparatus embodying main features of my invention; and Fig. 2 is a side elevational view, partly sectioned.

Referring to the drawings, a represents the main water-distributing pipe leading from a reservoir or other source of water-supply. (Not shown.) branch pipes a and a2 is connected with one end of two water-tight casings or housings b and b', which so far as arrangement and construction are concerned are duplicates one of the other. 'At their other ends the casings b and b by means of branch pipes a? and a4 are connected with the continuation a5 of the main a, so that the water is compelled to fiow through the casings b and b before it can reach the main a5.

Each of the casings l) and b is provided with filter-beds c', c2, and c3, each of which consists of a boX c,having front and rear faces c4 and c5, of netting c, and provided with suitable filtering material. The casings have ribs d and d at the sides and bottom, which, by engaging grooves arranged in the boxes c render the filter-beds water-tight within the casings b and b and compel the water entering from the main a to pass under pressure through the filter-beds before reachin the continuation a5 of the main a. The lterbeds c', c2, and c3, arranged a certain distance apart in each of the casings b and b', form in This pipe a by means of the present instance, in conjunction with the casings b and b', four chambers c, e', c2, and e3, the first chamber e being in front of the first bed c and th elast chamber e3 being in the rear of the last bed c3. The chambers e', e2, and e3 are in communication with each other by a pipe f, which by means of branch pipes f is connected with the upper end of the chambers, as shown in Fig. 2. At the bottom all of the chambers e, e', e2, and e3 by means of drain-pipes g are connectedwith a sewerpipe h for a purpose to be presently fully eX- plained.

The water to be filtered may be conducted from the main a through both of the casings b and b. However, in practice one of the casings b or b has proven sufficient to filter all the water coming from the main a. When one of the casings is used-for instance, the casing b-the casing b is out off from the main a by closing the valves a6 and 0.7 of the branch pipes a2 and a4, while the valves a8 and a of the branch pipes a and a3 are opened. Valves 2 in the branch pipesf and valves g in the drain-pipes g of both casings b and b are closed, and the water from the main a by entering the chamber e will thus be forced to pass through the first filter-bed c into the second chamber e and from thence in regular succession through the second filter-bed c2 into the chamber c2 and through the third filter-bed c3 into the last compartment or chamber e3; The waterwhen reaching this chamber e3 is in a sufficiently filtered or purified state to be ready for distribution through the main a". A great amount of the impurities are precipitated at the bottom of each of the chambers and in this manner are separated from the water to be filtered without the aid of the filter-beds.

lVhen it becomes necessary to cleanl the filter-beds-for instance, those of the casings b which have been cut off from the main 1- the valve a of the branch pipe a3, controlling the outflow of water from the casing b into the main a5, is closed, and at the same time, preferably, the chamber e3 of the casing b, which being the last in the series will naturally contain purified or filtered water, is connected with the cleansing-pipef by the opening of the valve f 2 of the branch pipe f leadi ing to the chamber e3. As shown in Fig. l, the cleansing-pipef partially surrounds both of the casings b and b and being in commul nication with the chambers e', e2, and e3 by its IOO branch pipes j" permits the water from the chamber e3 of the casing b to enter all the chambers of the casing b with the exception of the first chamber e. However, it has been found that a more effective, thorough, or quicker cleansing can be obtained by conducting all the cleansing-water to one chamber only and to begin with the chamber e', as the filter-bed Vc being the rst in each of the casings b and b naturally will contain the greatest amount of impurities. The valves f2 of the branch pipes j", leading to the chamber e, and the valves g/ of the drain-pipe g, leading from the chamber c into the sewerpipe h, are opened. All the water from the chamber e3 of the casing l) is now conducted into the chamber e of the casing b and will pass through the same and through the filterbed c in a direction opposite to that in which water to be filtered passes through the same and also in a downwardly oblique direction. The fiow of water in this direction is insured, since thedrain-pipes of the chamber e only are opened, through which the water finds an outlet into the sewer-pipe h. The water entering the chamber c at its upper portion and leaving the chamber e at the bottom will flow in an oblique downward direction and by entering the rear face c5 of the filter-bed c and leaving at its front face c4 will dislodge and effectually remove the impurities'that have settled in the filtering material of the bed c, as well as sediment accumulating on the filter-bed and the walls andbottom of the chamber e. After the filter-bed c has been cleansed the valve f2 of the branch pipe f, leading to the chamber e', as well as the valves g of the drain-pipes g for the chamber c, are closed, and at the same time a communication is established between the cleansingpipe f and chamber e2 and between the sewerpipe 7L and the chamber c for the cleansing of the filter-bed c2,

oughly cleansed. In order to clean the bottom of a 'chamber and the faces of two adjacent filter-beds, the valves of the branch pipes f and of the drain-pipes g may be so manipulated as to cause the cleansing-water to flow through a chamber only. In this instance the water will remove all impurities collecting at the bottom of the chamber after having cleaned the faces of the filter-beds therein. It has been found that the first bed c/ needs a cleansing at shorter intervals than the remaining filter-beds, and for that reason the cleansing of only this filter-bed is often sufficient to maintain the filter in operative condition. After all the filter-beds in the casing b have been cleaned the water from the main a may now be conducted into the casing b by the opening of the valves o and a7' of the branch pipes a2 and a and the closing of the valves a8 and a9 of the branch pipes a and a3. Filtered water from the casing b p and so on in regular succession until the last of the filter-beds is thorm( y now be conducted by the cleansing-pipe f into the casing b, and the filter-beds therein may be cleaned in the same manner as hereinbefore described in conjunction with the filter-beds of the casing b. In order to determine whether the -filter-beds are thoroughly cleaned, a testing-spigot i is arranged at the bottom of each of the chambers e, e', e2, and c3, which when opened will indicate by the outflowing water the cleansed condition of the respective filter-beds.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l, In a filtering apparatus, casings, a series of filter-beds arranged in each of said casings forming chambers and having an inlet for water to be filtered and an outlet for filtered water, outlets in the bottom of each of said chambers, a pipe connecting the upper ends of certain of the chambers of both casings with each other, said pipe adapted to conduct partially or completely filteredl Water from certain of the chambers of one casing into certain of the chambers of the other casing and by the opening of certain of said outlets to permit the introduced water to divide to cause the same to pass through certaincof said chambers and in opposite directions through contiguous filter beds, without changing the downward flow of the same through the said casing.

2. In a filtering apparatus, casings, a series of filter-beds arranged in each of said casings forming chambers therein, an inlet for water to be filtered and an outlet for the filtered water leading into and from each casing and adapted to permit of the flow of water to be filtered in one direction therethrough, a pipe for cleansing partially surrounding both of said casings and connecting certain'chambers with each other, outlets arranged in the bottom of said chambers opposite the inlets theretofrom said pipe, said pipe and the outlet of one casing adapted, when opened, to permit of a flow of cleansing-water through certain of the chambers of said casing, and through contiguous filter-beds in opposite di- IIO rections and in a transverse direction with respect to the flow of the water to be filtered.

3. In a filtering apparatus, casings forming receptacles for filter beds, said filterbeds in conjunction with said casings forming chambers to permit of the separation of a portion of the impurities from the water by gravity, and free of said filter-beds, outlets arranged in the bottom of each of said chambers and adapted to form eXits for impurities from the same and the filter-beds, a U-shaped pipe surrounding one end of each of said casings and connected with certain of the chambers thereof at the upper portion, said pipe adapted to permit of the introduction of partially or completely filtered water from one of the casings into the upper end or ends of ISO one or more of certain of the chambers of the other of said oasings to cause the same by the opening of Certain outlets thereof to be divided, one portion flowing directly through a ehamberand other portions in opposite drectons through Contiguous Jfilter-beds, without changing the downward ow of the sodvded o1eansng-watern testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature n the presence of two subsorb- 1o lng wltnesses.

DANEL M. PFAUTZ.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER DoUGLAss, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

